Artículo

LaLiga 2018-19: Bale or Griezmann - Who will step into Ronaldo´s breach as Messi´s main rival?

14 agosto 2018 11:00

When Real Madrid sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in a block-busting transfer-window move, the greatest domestic rivalry in history with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi was ended.

The two familiar foes will undoubtedly continue to battle it out for football's most prestigious individual and European honours with their respective sides, but in LaLiga at least a new face will have to step into Ronaldo's boots to challenge the awesome Messi for the best in the division.

For Los Blancos, Gareth Bale is the man many are tipping to fill at least some of the sizeable void left by Ronaldo's dramatic departure, while on the other side of the capital Antoine Griezmann's decision to remain with Atletico Madrid is a huge boost to Diego Simeone.

So, how have Bale and Griezmann stacked up at their respective clubs? We have crunched the Opta numbers to assess how big of a challenge they face in trying to rival Messi.

INJURY-FREE BALE MEANS GOALS, GRIEZMANN PROLIFIC

Bale's injury issues restricted him to just 19 LaLiga appearances in the 2016-17 season, a campaign in which he scored seven goals.

However, in 26 games last term he returned an impressive 16 and in 126 matches he has 70 goals to his name for Madrid.

Griezmann has a similarly impressive goal return. Despite having been at Atleti for one season fewer than Bale has at Madrid, the World Cup winner has 79 in 143 matches.

The France forward netted 19 times last term, an upturn on the 16 from the season before but down on the 22 he managed in each of his first two campaigns.

Bale's numbers suggest he needs more shots for his goals, with 339 efforts taken compared to 272 for Griezmann, while the latter is also more accurate with 162 attempts on target – the same as Bale, who has taken 67 more shots.

An incredible player and a top guy! It has been a pleasure to play alongside you for the last 5 years. Good luck for the future my friend pic.twitter.com/KBYLMYaWjP